The present invention relates to a waterproof connector, particularly to a waterproof connector having one or more contacts and a shell.
In recent years, portable electronic devices have been widely used. Such electronic devices are made thinner and required to have an excellent waterproof function. Accordingly, connectors for use in electronic devices are also required to be thin and have waterproof properties.
In addition, to prevent transmitted electric signals from being affected by electromagnetic waves from outside, the development of connectors shielded against electromagnetic waves is in progress.
Such a connector having both waterproof properties and electromagnetic wave shielding properties is disclosed in, for instance, JP 2013-54844 A. This connector has the configuration in which a housing 1 made of an insulating resin is molded integrally with a cylindrical shell 2 made of metal and contacts 3 for use in establishing conductive connection, as shown in FIG. 17. A counter connector accommodating section 4 for accommodating a counter connector is formed in the shell 2, and each of the contacts 3 is formed at its one end with a contact section 3A exposed in the counter connector accommodating section 4 to come into contact with a contact of the counter connector and at its other end with a board connecting section 3B projecting from the rear of the housing 1 to be connected to a board 5.
A waterproof member 6 made of rubber is molded against the housing 1 so as to cover the outer peripheral portion of the housing 1 and the board connecting sections 3B of the contacts 3 connected to the board 5. The outer peripheral portions of the shell 2 and the waterproof member 6 are covered by a casing 7 of an electronic device.
Covering the contact sections 3A of the contacts 3 by the shell 2 brings about a shielding effect against electromagnetic waves, while molding the housing 1 integrally with the shell 2 and the contacts 3 and molding the waterproof member 6 against the housing 1 result in preventing water from penetrating through the counter connector accommodating section 4 to the inside of the electronic device where the board 5 lies.
Since, however, the waterproof member 6 is molded against the housing 1 so as to cover the outer peripheral portion of the housing 1 and the board connecting sections 3B of the contacts 3, there is a problem in that the manufacture of the connector requires a lot of work.
Furthermore, in general, a metal material forming contacts and a shell and an insulating material such as resin forming a housing are different in thermal expansion coefficient from each other, and therefore, when, for example, a connector is exposed to a high temperature environment during a soldering process in mounting the connector onto a circuit board of an electronic device, due to the different degree of expansion between the metal material and the insulating material, the housing may be separated from surfaces of the contacts and the shell.
Aside from that, in a fitting process of a counter connector with the connector, when the counter connector is forcibly fitted in a direction oblique to the fitting axis, which is so-called “ill fitting,” so that a high stress is applied between the housing and the contacts or the shell, the housing may be separated from surfaces of the contacts or the shell.
Once the housing is separated, a gap is formed between the insulating material forming the housing and the surfaces of the contacts and the shell, and water may enter the inside of the connector through the gap, which impairs waterproof properties of the connector even though the waterproof member 6 is molded against the housing 1.